Hello folks!
It seems like everyone here is quite helpful and I have my own questions to
ask.
I have 3 slopes to transform in the next few years into flower beds. The
slope is on the side of my septic bed. angle is about 45 degrees at worst,
closer to a more gentle 30 at the easiest.
I am planning to terrace it with stone (yes I need to haul lots of it from
my woods behind me), but my question is more about kinds of plants that will
tolerate the dryer conditions at the highest part of the garden slope. The
lower half should be well watered often anyways, the top will be much drier.
I live in Zone 4 roughly, south west of Ottawa, Ontario.
1 slope faces north east, 1 faces south east and one faces south west. My
house is to the northwest.
Picture it like a long rectangle out in front of my house, with the house on
one of the short sides.
(does that help?)
anyways, its plant suggestions I am seeking. I know a few things I like and
want to fit in (bleeding heart, iris, peony, poppy, some spring and summer
bulbs), and I don't want things that are too invasive.
My problem is I am not too familiar with the different kinds of plants that
are out there.
I am partial to herbs, would they survive?
Do the soaker hoses work well enough for this kind of application? (sorry,
separate question)
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!!!
This is for the planning stage this winter, to start working on next spring,
and start planting then too.
Jenny

Herbs would be excellent. If you want plants that are tolerant of dry
conditions look for plants with silver or gray color leaves. Lavender,
sage, artemisia, etc. are the type of plants that would like that type of
planting. Ornamental grasses would work and give a different texture, color
and movement. Succulents (sedum of all varieties) do well in dry
conditions. I think some bearded irises would work (they do not like wet
feet) but I'm not sure (I remember them growing well in Southern California
which is far dryer than you are).

http://www.perc.ca/PEN/1993-07-08/fabiani.html

"Jenny" wrote in message
.. .
Hello folks!
It seems like everyone here is quite helpful and I have my own questions
to
ask.
I have 3 slopes to transform in the next few years into flower beds. The
slope is on the side of my septic bed. angle is about 45 degrees at
worst,
closer to a more gentle 30 at the easiest.
I am planning to terrace it with stone (yes I need to haul lots of it from
my woods behind me), but my question is more about kinds of plants that
will
tolerate the dryer conditions at the highest part of the garden slope.
The
lower half should be well watered often anyways, the top will be much
drier.
I live in Zone 4 roughly, south west of Ottawa, Ontario.
1 slope faces north east, 1 faces south east and one faces south west. My
house is to the northwest.
Picture it like a long rectangle out in front of my house, with the house
on
one of the short sides.
(does that help?)
anyways, its plant suggestions I am seeking. I know a few things I like
and
want to fit in (bleeding heart, iris, peony, poppy, some spring and summer
bulbs), and I don't want things that are too invasive.
My problem is I am not too familiar with the different kinds of plants
that
are out there.
I am partial to herbs, would they survive?
Do the soaker hoses work well enough for this kind of application? (sorry,
separate question)
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!!!
This is for the planning stage this winter, to start working on next
spring,
and start planting then too.
Jenny

Jenny wrote:

Hello folks!
It seems like everyone here is quite helpful and I have my own questions to
ask.
I have 3 slopes to transform in the next few years into flower beds. The
slope is on the side of my septic bed. angle is about 45 degrees at worst,
closer to a more gentle 30 at the easiest.
I am planning to terrace it with stone (yes I need to haul lots of it from
my woods behind me), but my question is more about kinds of plants that will
tolerate the dryer conditions at the highest part of the garden slope. The
lower half should be well watered often anyways, the top will be much drier.
I live in Zone 4 roughly, south west of Ottawa, Ontario.
1 slope faces north east, 1 faces south east and one faces south west. My
house is to the northwest.
Picture it like a long rectangle out in front of my house, with the house on
one of the short sides.
(does that help?)
anyways, its plant suggestions I am seeking. I know a few things I like and
want to fit in (bleeding heart, iris, peony, poppy, some spring and summer
bulbs), and I don't want things that are too invasive.
My problem is I am not too familiar with the different kinds of plants that
are out there.
I am partial to herbs, would they survive?
Do the soaker hoses work well enough for this kind of application? (sorry,
separate question)
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!!!
This is for the planning stage this winter, to start working on next spring,
and start planting then too.
Jenny

As a general rule, plants with greyish, silverish, or waxy leaves
are the ones that survive dry conditions the best. Many of the
hardy perennial herbs fall into this category. So, those could
be a good choice. Of the plants you list, some iris and poppies
will do well in drier conditons. Aril and aril-bred iris prefer
dry, as do german iris. The other iris types want moister soil.
What you might want to do is find your local garden club and see
what they recommend specifically for your area . . . this can
also have the benefit of getting you free divisions of stuff. A
local garden center would also be someplace to cruise around --
don't take any money with you when you go unless you are
specifically planning on buying something -- garden centers tend
to sell the stuff that does VERY well in your area.

Bleeding heart is a shade plant; all the other ones you list want
full sun. From your description, most of this area will be full
sun.

Soaker hoses are a wonderful idea. Being in competition for the
title of World's Laziest Woman, I've developed a system that
works very well for me: As I fill a new garden bed with plants,
I put a soaker hose down the length, over the soil and under the
mulch. The open end is brought out of the bed in an
inconspicuous spot -- because I use landscape timber, I generally
just drill a wide hole through the top one; under the top layer
of rock would work fine, too -- fitted with a quick-release
attachment. [You can get bulk lengths of hose, end fittings, and
quick-release sets -- or singletons; you'll need many more
females than males -- at AM Leonards, www.amleo.com.] Because I
have lots of inter-connected beds, I then use Y-fittings with
on-off valves, and short lengths of impermeable hose, buried in
the path beside the bed, to connect them together. All of this
eventually feeds into a four-gang hose bib with on-off valves
that's attached to the house. To water, I turn on the water at
the house, flip the appropriate on-off valves, and off you go.
While it is quite a bit of up-front work, once the system is in
place, you never have to haul a hose anywhere again.

My last suggestion is that you not plan on both building the beds
AND planting in them next spring. I've learned the hard way that
Life Happens. You'll be cruising along, building that bed, and
sure that you'll get it all done in time for the plants you've
ordered, and Life Happens . . . next thing you know, you've got
four boxes of plants sitting on your front stoop and an
half-built bed where they are supposed to go. Which then leads
to the Break-Neck Bed Finishing Project and / or the Great Garden
Plans Rearrangement and / or losing a bunch of plants. What I've
honestly found works better is to build the bed, plant it in
annuals, and then, the following fall season, start planting the
permanent additions. This also allows you to get the spring
bulbs into place without having to dig through your plants to do
so. Even if the annuals won't have time to bloom before frost,
they'll keep the bed looking attractive and weed-free. Johnny's
Selected Seeds, www.johnnyseeds.com, and Stoke's Seeds,
stokesseeds.com, are both good places to buy large amounts of
bulk seed without breaking the bank.

Chris Owens


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